Machine 9 heads to the Science Museum

Hear the sound of space debris

Machine 9' tracks the positions of 27,000 pieces of space junk, transforming them into sound, as they pass overhead.

Created by sound designer Nick Ryan, engineer Dave Cranmer and a team of technicians, the handcrafted sound instrument monitors live data from NASA and other sources, transflating the movement of pieces of space debris into sound, in real time.

The machine, a handcrafted electromechanical instrument consists of a 2 metre long cylinder with 1000 'locked grooves' cut into a lacquered surface. Each groove carries a sound signal representing an individual piece of space debris. As pieces of space debris orbit above Earth, it initiates a stylus mechanisms to locate and play one of the 1000 grooves, creating a live audio composition and a unique piece of music.

Machine 9 will be at the Science Museum from Tuesday 14th - Thursday 16th February.

Meet the scientists working to fix the problem and the artists and engineers who hand crafted Machine 9. Listen as it as it tracks the positions of 27,000 pieces of space junk, in real time, as they pass overhead and transforms them into sound.